Possessed (enemies)
Enemies article |image=Defiance-Enemies-Possessed.png |caption=The Possessed in Defiance. |introduced= Legacy of Kain: Defiance (2003) |appearances= Defiance }} The Possessed were a enemy class encountered in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. Part of the Possessed sub-grouping, the Possessed were created by Hylden souls originating in the Demon Realm entering the Material Realm through Possession of a living human - enabling them to take over control and enhance the strength of the subject. The creation of these enemies required living humans so they were usually seen in areas with frequent human activity like the Pillars and Avernus Cathedral. Profile The Possessed were the most basic enemies of the Possessed sub-class of enemies encountered in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. Like all members of the Possessed sub-class, they were created when a Hylden soul crossed over from the Demon Realm into the Material Realm and Possessed a living human. The Possessed were first seen in the chapter Find the Location of Vorador's Mansion where one of the class was shown to possess a Vampire Hunter Sorceress. Thereafter the Possessed were able to take control of human classes throughout the rest of the game and and could attack without warning and bolster the strength of the classes. When possessed enemy troops were known to abandon their weapons and regular attacks and instead attack using 'claw swipes' and jump attacks. In terms of appearance, the Possessed appeared to be identical to the humans they had possessed save for the distinctive green glowing eyes indicative of Hylden possession. Notes *The Possessed classes were not explicitly named in game, however the overarching "Possessed" enemy grouping is mentioned in Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide along with the sub grouping "The Possessed" and "The Transformed". Game files do not have a standard model for the possessed class (as they use the models of others) - however classes that are vulnerable to possession usually have a variant marked with a "p_" prefix - for example ""p_vh_caster" for a possessed Vampire hunter sorceresses, "p_vh_skinny" for possessed Vampire hunter pillagers and "p_vh_female" for possessed Vampire hunter mercenaries. **''"The Possessed"'' enemy class and the overarching "Possessed" titles are based upon the beliefs of Spirit Possession and Demonic Possession found in many cultures where an outside force (typically a ghost or demon) take control of an observer. These beliefs are arguably the basis for a number of abilities through the series. Spirit Possession at Wikipedia Demonic Possession at Wikipedia Hylden Soul.jpg|A Hylden soul after the defeat of a Revenant Defiance-Prerelease-IGN¦Gamespy-022I-12May03-Mansion-Raziel-HyldenSoulDevour.jpg *The Possessed in Defiance are related to the use of Possession by Raziel to reach the Material Realm by taking control of corpses - in the same way the Hylden use Revenants - but using living beings instead of corpses. The Possession ability itself originated in the possession ability planned for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver whereby Raziel could take control of an enemy character. The Priestess at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) Possession at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) Similar Mind Control abilities are seen in the Control Mind and Spirit Wrack abilities of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and the Dominate Mind ability of the Zephonim Deceivers in Nosgoth. *As with the Revenant classes, when defeated the Possessed will leave behind a Hylden soul - indicating that the previous human soul has been displaced. *The Possessed largely target the soldiers of Moebius's Vampire Hunter faction for Possession and only three classes - Vampire hunter sorceresses, Vampire hunter pillagers and Vampire hunter mercenaries - are actually seen possessed through the game: all of these classes also have a "p_" variant in game files. Ultimately it is unclear which species/classes are vulnerable to possession, although Mortanius, Turel and Janos Audron are all seen as victims of possession through the course of the game and Raziel - although not outright possessed - had his anger fueled by them. Defiance-DC-Reunion-096.png|The Possessed Turel Defiance-DC-MortaniusRedemption-034.png|The Possessed Mortanius Defiance-DC-ThePillarsTopple-040.png|The Possessed Janos Audron Defiance-DC-ADeadlyConfrontation-022.png|Hylden possession fueling Raziel's anger *The Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide lists a single ability for Possessed enemy class: "Grab/Throw" which supposedly involves the possessed enemy grabbing and throwing Raziel around. However the attack does not seem to be used by the class in the course of the game and instead they typically attack with a range of bare-handed swiping or slashing attacks rather than any discreet ability. The Grab/Throw attack is more obviously deployed by fellow Possessed class the Transformed. *The Possessed are one of the two enemy classes in the Possessed sub-category identified in the Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide - the other being The Transformed. The description of both the Possessed and the Transformed is noticeably similar to that of Revenants, except using living hosts. Both require a vessel to be 'taken over' by Hylden Possession from the Demon Realm. *After the initial scripted appearance of the class, the appearances of the Possessed are notably erratic and unpredictable compared to the consistent spawns of other enemies. They can most notably be seen in areas nearby the Pillars of Nosgoth in the chapter Find the Location of Vorador's Mansion but how they spawn is unclear. /Revenants design in Blood Omen 2 concepts]] *The Possessed are notably one of the few classes that can trigger an allegiance system among fellow enemies - when a Possessed human emerges from a regular enemy, the accompanying enemies will often attack it and treat it with hostility leading to infighting among groups. *The Possessed are one of the only classes in Legacy of Kain: Defiance to lack their own character model - using possession of other enemies means they essentially uses the character models of other classes with only the green glowing eyes typical of Hylden possession marking them out. *''Blood Omen 2'' concepts posted by Blood Omen 2 developer Steve Ross appear to show five different Hylden castes planned for that title, where only two appeared in the final game. One caste depicts a skeletal figure emerging from a portal and could suggest an early design that eventually became the Defiance Possessed and Revenants. Blood Omen 2 at Steve Ross portfolio (archived) Gallery Defiance-Enemies-Possessed.png|A Possessed Vampire Hunter sorceress Defiance-Enemies-Possessed-VHMerc.png|A Possessed Vampire Hunter Mercenary Defiance-Enemies-Possessed-VHPill.png|A Possessed Vampire Hunter Pillager Defiance-Enemy-Possessed-Sorceress.png|Sorceress shortly after initial possession Defiance-PosessionReaction.PNG|Enemy reactions to Possessed troops See also *Hylden *Possession (Defiance) *Possessed **Transformed *Revenants **Human revenants **Vampire revenants **Hylden revenants References Browse Category:Enemies Category:Enemies/Defiance Category:Enemies/Defiance enemies Category:Enemies/Enemies Category:Defiance Category:Stubs